Norrköping, Sweden's MARDUK is basically my favorite black metal band of all time. They formed in 1990, with Morgan Steinmeyer Hakansson being the main driving force behind the band. At the time of the band's formation, Jocke Gothberg (aka Joakim af Grave) was on drums, Richard Kalm was on bass, Andreas Axelson was on vocals, and the aforementioned Morgan was on guitars. Their style was an old-school black metal style that relied heavily on early Bathory in terms of sound. They released the infamous Fuck Me Jesus demo in 1991.
"Departure from the Mortals" is off of Fuck Me Jesus
Also in 1991, Marduk recorded a second demo, but it didn't see the light of day until 1997 as the Here's No Peace EP. It was a continuation of the sound on the first demo, but with slightly different (some might say better) production.
"Within the Abyss" is from the Here's No Peace album/demo
1992 saw the release of Marduk's legendary first studio album, Dark Endless. This is one of the true landmarks of early 1990s black metal, and one of the best Swedish black metal releases of all time. Produced by Swedish genius Dan Swano, Dark Endless offers up a slab of black metal which contains elements of the old school but also hints toward the newer emerging sound of the 1990s at the same time.
"The Black" is one of Marduk's most well-known early songs
Since I am such a huge Marduk fan, I am going to have multiple Marduk entries in the future. This is merely the beginning of the entries on these Swedish sonic extremists...
Discography of Marduk's early years:
Fuck Me Jesus (demo) (1991)
Here's No Peace (demo) (recorded 1991--released 1997)
My first survey--What is the best 1980s black metal album?--closed a few days ago. Not many people participated in it (there were four total votes). Of those four votes, one vote was for Mayhem's Deathcrush, one was for Blasphemy's Blood Upon the Altar, and two were for Bathory's Under the Sign of the Black Mark. To be honest, this is not much of a surprise to me.
I will have another survey soon. Hopefully more than four people will vote. \m/
As we enter the 1990s, the legendary Norwegian scene takes center stage. After his stints in both Old Funeral and Amputation, Abbath went on to form IMMORTAL in 1990 (along with Demonaz). They were initially a death metal band, as is evident on the 1991 self titled demo. It wasn't until the Immortal 7" EP (also released in 1991) that they changed their style to black metal.
"The Cold Winds of Funeral Frost" is off of the self-titled 7-inch
Immortal's sound clearly owed a small debt to the sound of late 1980s and early 1990s Mayhem, but at the same time, it was a unique style. Elements of Bathory (think Under the Sign of the Black Mark) also being present, Immortal went on the release a full-length album in 1992. Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism is one of the best early 1990s Norwegian black metal albums. Immortal set themselves apart from the hordes of other black metal bands because they incorporated
winter-themed lyrics. Winter, cold, frost, and other climatic elements made
perfect sense given Norway's harsh and unforgiving weather.
"Call of the Wintermoon" is one of Immortal's best known early songs
The big shift for Immortal in these earlier years was with the release of 1993's Pure Holocaust. This album continued some of the stylistic elements of the material from Diabolical and the self-titled 7-inch, but at the same time, Immortal began to push the black metal style forward. Blastbeats were featured prominently, and the overall speed was ratcheted up a notch unlike almost any other black metal band before this time.
This is "Storming Through Red Clouds and Holocaustwinds"
When Immortal released this album on the world, it truly changed the black metal landscape forever. There had been fast black metal before (think Sarcofago, for example), but no one had put blastbeats into black metal to such a degree before. Pure Holocaust stands, in my mind, as one of the highlights of all Norwegian black metal--indeed, of all black metal PERIOD.
With Pure Holocaust, Immortal entered a new phase in their sound. This phase will be explored at a later time....
The story of BURZUM is so well-documented, I'm not sure how much detail to go into. Varg Vikernes (the mastermind behind Burzum) began a solo project called Uruk-Hai sometime around 1988 or 1989, after he had only been playing the guitar for a couple years. To my knowledge, there are no known recordings from that time period. In later years (sometime in the later 1990s), some recordings emerged of Uruk-Hai material, but this was not actually from the years 1988-1989--it only claimed to be. After the early Uruk-Hai years, Vikernes joined the Norwegian death/black metal band Old Funeral. They were active from the years 1990-1991. This band included Abbath (later of Immortal fame) and Jørn (later of Hades fame).
After the demise of this band, Vikernes revived the Uruk-Hai project under the name Burzum, which is the word for "darkness" in the Black Speech of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. This was more or less an old-school black metal project, but with the touch of that occultic edge that 1980s Mayhem had.
From the first untitled Burzum demo, this is "Lost Wisdom"
Vikernes put out two untitled demos in 1991 under the Burzum name. They included many songs which went on to become classics, such as "Lost Wisdom," "Spell of Destruction," "A Lost Forgotten Sad Spirit," and "Feeble Screams From Forests Unknown." Many of these songs were instrumental, with no vocals. Nonetheless, they highlighted the emerging Norwegian sound. Bearing resemblance to what Mayhem had done up to this point, while maintaining some uniqueness, these Burzum tracks helped lay the template for many black metal bands to come.
This is from the 1992 self-titled album...
In 1992, Burzum released a self-titled album. This was put out on Euronymous's label Deathlike Silence Productions. The back story to this is very complicated, and if you want the full details, the internet has so many sites devoted to this it isn't even funny. In terms of black metal sound, the self-titled album was a continuation of the the sound pioneered on the demos, but at the same time an improvement. I think that Vikernes' vocals were more tortured, more insane-sounding than pretty much any other black metal vocalist up to that point in history. That first album is one of black metal's all-time greats.
From 1993's Aske EP, this is "A Lost Forgotten Sad Spirit"
The following year, Burzum put out the Aske EP. With a name meaning "ashes", the cover art featured one of the burnt churches that the Norwegian black metal Inner Circle members had torched. This material was very much in the same vein as the self-titled material. Aesthetically similar, it sounded like a continuation of 1992's Burzum. In fact, the Burzum and Aske albums have been packaged as a double release many times since 1993.
In the following years Vikernes put out some very important albums. These, however, shall be dealt with at a later date. I feel like the years 1993-1996 were the peak of Burzum's brilliance, and as such, they merit their own entry.
Continuing black metal's obsession with goats, we have Finland's mighty ARCHGOAT! Emerging around the same time as Beherit, Archgoat--from the Finnish city of Turku--was one of the founders of the Finnish scene. They formed in 1989, and by 1991 had put out the demo Jesus Spawn.
Off of the Jesus Spawn demo, this is "Death and Necromancy"
Archgoat's style was fast and brutal, reminiscent of such underground luminaries as Blasphemy, Von, and the aforementioned Beherit. With dark, growled vocals (instead of the Satanic screeching vocals more common in black metal) and a heavily percussive sound, Archgoat set themselves apart from the mass of black metal bands.
After the 1992 demo Penis Perversor, Archgoat put out the now-infamous Angelcunt EP in 1993. This short album was eventually made a split release with Beherit (their Messe des Morts EP). It continued their heavy, brutal black metal sound. Alas, Archgoat sadly broke up after this release.
A fan-made video for "Black Messiah", off of Angelcunt
Luckily for black metal fans, Archgoat--much like fellow countrymen Beherit--re-formed in the new millenium. Unlike Beherit, however, their style seemed fairly intact. Releases such as 2005's Angelslaying Black Fucking Metal, 2006's Whore of Bethlehem, and 2009's The Light-Devouring Darkness still showcased the raw, fast, brutal sound Archgoat had become known for.
"Apotheosis of Lucifer" is off of The Light-Devouring Darkness
Select Discography:
Jesus Spawn (demo) (1991) Penis Perversor (demo) (1992) Angelcunt (Tales of Desecration) EP (1993) Angelslaying Black Fucking Metal EP (2005) Whore of Bethlehem (full-length) (2006) The Light-Devouring Darkness (full-length) (2009)
Moving right along, we come to Sweden's DISSECTION ---arguably one of the most important black metal bands of all time. You could even make the argument that they are Sweden's second-most important black metal band after Bathory.
They formed in late 1989, with members Jon Nodtveidt, Ole Ohman, and Peter Palmdahl being present at the beginning. By mid-1990, they had a rehearsal tape (Severed Into Shreds) circulating in the underground. Their first demo, The Grief Prophecy, was recorded in that same year, and saw the light of day in late 1990.
"The Call of the Mist" is from their 1990 demo (note the death metal sound)
Their sound on these early demos/rehearsals was more like the currently popular Swedish death metal, and less like the black metal sound pioneered by Bathory. They had that guitar tone that was reminiscent of the Sunlight Studios buzzsaw sound, and growled vocals. At the same time, the lyrical content was a little more gore-focused than traditional black metal.
From Dissection's 1991 EP, Into Infinite Obscurity
In 1991, Dissection released the Into Infinite Obscurity EP. On this, the sound had begun to shift away from death metal, and to a more black metal sound. The buzzsaw guitar tone was still present, but the song structures bore more resemblance to black metal at this point. Dissection's sound continued to mature on the 1992 demo The Somberlain and the full-length album of the same name that came out in 1993.
"Frozen" is one of Dissection's best songs off of The Somberlain
The Somberlain was great melodic black metal, and by this time, there were barely any death metal elements present in the songs. Dissection had truly created a sound all their own. They could not be accused of copying anyone. I would argue that Bathory and Dissection did the most to put Swedish black metal on the map in terms of its own sound (and this is coming from a die-hard Marduk fan).
"Unhallowed", from Dissection's Storm of the Light's Bane
In 1995, Dissection released what is one of the gems of all black metal: the full-length album Storm of the Light's Bane. This saw the perfection of their style, and is perhaps the pinnacle of all Swedish black metal. Everything Bathory did, everything subsequent bands had done (Marduk, Nifelheim, Dark Funeral, etc.), the sound on this album encapsulated it perfectly. The tremolo riffing associated with black metal, but with a darkly melodic edge to it is the best short way to describe Dissection's sound. With this album, they peaked.
In the years immediately following this, Dissection put out a rarities collection, a live album, and the Where Dead Angels Lie EP (which was shaped like an inverted cross!). Jon Nodtveidt and the rest of the band seemed to have differing visions as to how they wanted the band to proceed. They were on the verge of breaking up when Jon was arrested and sentenced to prison for being an accomplice to murder.
From 1997 to 2004, Jon served his prison term. When he got out he re-formed Dissection and wanted to focus on his Satanic beliefs. The resulting music--the "Maha Kali" single and the Reinkaos full-length--was more melodic death metal than black metal. I personally found it derivative and somewhat boring.
After some moderate success with this re-formed Dissection, Jon Nodtveidt killed himself in 2006. According to those who knew him best, this was part of his plan from the outset. His suicide was part of a Satanic pact, allegedly.
Playing the legendary "Night's Blood" live
Select Discography:
Severed Into Shreds (demo) (1990) The Grief Prophecy (demo) (1990) Into Infinite Obscurity (demo) (1991) The Somberlain (demo) (1992) The Somberlain (full-length album) (1993) Storm of the Light's Bane (1995) Where Dead Angels Lie EP (1996) Live Legacy (live album) (2003)
"Maha Kali" (single) (2004) Reinkaos (2006)
VON--originally having formed in Hawaii, but soon relocating to San Francisco--is a pretty legendary band in the history of USBM. They formed in 1987 and were well-known throughout the underground by the early 1990s. The demos that put them on the map were 1990's Satanic demo, 1992's Satanic Blood demo, and the unreleased Blood Angel demo (recorded around the same time as Satanic Blood).
Their fame in the underground grew into near-mainstream notoriety after Burzum's Varg Vikernes mentioned them in an interview as an influence on the emerging black metal scene of the 1990s. Confusion arose, however, when Varg used the acrostic "Victory-Orgasm-Nazi" to ensure an interviewer properly spelled their name. This resulted in Von being accused of having Nazi sympathies, which is simply not the case.
The title track off of 1992's Satanic Blood demo
Von's style is simple, raw black metal with no-frills. The focus is on raw brutality and an overall stripped-down aesthetic. Perhaps most similar in style to some of Beherit's or Blasphemy's darker moments, Von's style of black metal is still a rarity, even today. The Norwegian and Swedish templates are followed far more often than that of this unique American band.
Here's a Von live performance from 1991
After officially breaking up in 1992, Von's early material (especially 1992's Satanic Blood) saw re-release several times. After the dawn of the new millenium, both Satanic Blood and Blood Angel were made available on CD as Satanic Blood Angel. This release also included a live performance from 1991. Since that time, Von has re-formed and put out an EP entitled Satanic Blood. Two related projects from current and former Von members also emerged: Von Goat and Venien.
Aside from Sadistik Exekution, another foundational Australian extreme metal band is ANATOMY. From the suburbs of Melbourne, they formed in 1989. In sharp contrast with SadEx, they played a more brutal death metal-influenced style. Their early material--demos like 1991's Dark Religion and 1992's For Those Whose Eyes Are Black--showcases the death metal elements of their music rather heavily.
"Carrion of Jesus" is from 1992's For Those Whose Eyes Are Black
With 1993's Twisting Depths of Horror EP, Anatomy's sound clearly matured, but they could still be described as a black/death hybrid. With riffage calling to mind developments in the current death metal scene, as well as some of the old-school 1980s black metal bands, Anatomy was neither and both.
From the 1993 EP
In 1996, Anatomy put out a full-length album, Where Angels Die. This was followed by 1999's The Witches of Dathomir. On these albums, their sound moved away from a brutal black/death sound to a more overt and straight-forward black metal style. 1996's Angels featured sprawling, majestic black metal soundscapes with hints of death metal and brutality; 1999's Witches featured a rawer black metal sound.
Note the difference from the earlier material
Anatomy broke up around the turn of the millenium (2001? 2002?), but many of their members have been or are currently involved in other prominent extreme metal bands from Australia, such as Hobbs Angel of Death, Gospel of the Horns, and Bestial Warlust.
A pretty cool promo pic of the band
Select Discography:
Dark Religion (demo) (1991) For Those Whose Eyes Are Black (demo) (1992) Twisting Depths of Horror EP (1993) Where Angels Die (full-length) (1996) The Witches of Dathomir (full-length) (1999)
The British scene didn't really produce a good deal of noteworthy black metal in the 1980s after Venom. The infamous Bal-Sagoth formed in 1989 (more on them later), but they didn't put out anything that I know of until a 1993 demo. London's SALEM ORCHID, however, put out demo material in the years 1990-1991. This black/death metal band would go on to form Akercocke after breaking up in the mid-nineties, so in that respect, their material is a critical part of the UK scene.
From their untitled 1990 demo
After an untitled 1990 demo, the band put out a 1991 demo that contained "Sempiternal Suffering" and "Nirvana of Agony". These are two songs the band would become famous for. Salem Orchid's style isn't either straightforward black metal or death metal. The structures of the songs themselves do resemble old-school death metal, but the more experimental sections of the songs have an evil, black metal atmosphere to them.
The infamous "Sempiternal Suffering"
Salem Orchid's long, almost gothic-feeling songs would frequently meander through numerous motifs over their sometime more than ten-minute length. This feature of their style carried over to the later band, Akercocke. Satanism also featured prominently in their sound.
Following the 1991 demo, Salem Orchid put out two live demos in 1991 as well. The band managed to catch the attention of record label Cacophonous Records, and was on track to sign a record deal, but disputes between current and former members of the band over who owned the name of the band derailed this deal. After breaking up and re-forming a few times during the early nineties, Salem Orchid broke up for good in 1995. Before some members went on to form Akercocke, the band Church of Satan served as a stopping point for former members of Salem Orchid. Their style was a much odder black/death combo than Salem Orchid's was, very aggressive.
An example of what Church of Satan sounded like
Select Discography:
untitled 1990 demo A Fictional Experience Between Drowning Lovers (demo) (1991) Demo '91 (demo) (1991) Live (live demo) (1991) Demo '92 (demo) (1992)
From New York, PROFANATICA was one of the most important underground American black metal bands in the early days. In the late 1980s, bands like Toten and Abomination began putting out black metal demos, but it wasn't until the members of these bands went on to form Profanatica that their music began to make a larger impact on the USBM scene.
They formed around 1990, some of their members having played in death metal band Incantation. Their vicious, no-holds-barred brand of black metal was still a rarity for 1990. Profanatica's style carried the rawness of black/thrash to its logical extreme. With demos in 1990 like Putrescence Of... and Broken Throne of Christ, Profanatica unleashed their unholy sound upon the world.
From their demo, Putrescence Of...
Listening to Profanatica, one can hear the death metal influence in their sound. Lyrically, Profanatica is all about blasphemy and being as blatantly anti-Christian as possible. The main man behind Profanatica, Paul Ledney, is not shy about his views on religion. In addition to blaspheming Christianity, Ledney's lyrics frequently involved sexual defilement of all things holy.
Here is the 1991 EP Weeping in Heaven
After 1991's Weeping in Heaven EP, Profanatica managed to land a record deal with Osmose Records. Their first release on Osmose was a split with Colombian band Masacre entitled Tormenting Holy Flesh. This would end up being their last official studio release of new material for a while. Later that year (1992), the master tapes for what was to be their first official full-length (with the working title "The Raping of the Virgin Mary") were allegedly destroyed. Shortly thereafter, the band broke up.
"Spilling Holy Blood" comes off of that split with Masacre
After the demise of Profanatica, Paul Ledney attempted to continue their blasphemous vision with the band Havohej (Jehovah spelled backwards). Havohej merits their own entry, so more on them later. But while Havohej was putting out extreme black metal albums, new Profanatica material occasionally cropped up. In 1993, the Putrescence Of... demo was re-released by Osmose as the EP As Tears of Blood Stain the Altar of Christ. In 1999, some rehearsal material from around 1991 was put out as part of a split with Impiety. And after the turn of the new millenium, a live album was put out that was a compilation of three live shows, as was a compilation of most of their previously released material entitled Collection.
Profanatica live, in 1992
Profanatica re-formed in 2001. Since that time, they have put out tons more new material. The "Broken Jew" single (one of their best songs, in my opinion), multiple studio albums, a 2008 live studio recording (The Grand Masters Sessions), and some old, previously unreleased material (Years of Pestilence and Sickened By Holy Host) are the highlights of this era in Profanatica's existence. Profanatica is perhaps one of the most blasphemous bands in existence, yet one of the most important in the history of USBM.
The 2002 song "Broken Jew" from a single of the same name
Select Discography:
Rehearsal '90 (demo) (1990) Putrescence Of... (demo) (1990) Broken Throne of Christ (demo) (1990) Weeping in Heaven EP (1991) Tormenting Holy Flesh (split with Masacre) (1992) Unholy Masters of Darkness 7" (split with Impiety) (1999) Live (live album) (2001) Collection (compilation) (2001)
"Broken Jew" (single) (2002)
"Passion of a Liar" (digital single) (2004) The Enemy of Virtue (compilation) (2006) Profanatitas de Domonatia (2007)
And now for the most famous black metal band during its most famous period. In 1988, vocalist Dead (Per Ygnve Ohlin) joined, having previously been in the Swedish black/death band Morbid. In the same time frame, drummer Hellhammer joined. With this, Mayhem's 'classic' line-up was born: Euronymous on guitar, Necrobutcher on bass, Helhammer on drums, and Dead on vocals. They were coming off of the new-found underground notoriety that 1987's Deathcrush album had brought them.
A 1988 rehearsal of "Necrolust" with Dead...
In the years 1988-1990, Mayhem was truly an underground phenomenon. They released no albums, no officially sanctioned demos, no live albums. Nevertheless, the bootlegs that circulated in the underground during this time period cemented their reputation as one of black metal's elite. Live shows all over Europe also helped create the Mayhem mythos.
In 1990, two new studio tracks surfaced: 'Carnage" (one of their older classics, but with Dead on vocals) and "Freezing Moon". These tracks have seen the light of day as not only a demo cassette entitled Studio Tracks, but also as a seven-inch entitled Freezing Moon.
The legendary "Freezing Moon", from the 1990 rehearsal
Much as Mayhem's early years peaked with the Deathcrush EP in 1987, the Dead years peaked with the Live in Leipzig album. This was recorded in late 1990 at a performance in Leipzig, but was not released on CD until 1993. The material released both officially and unofficially in these years can be considered some of the best that old-school Norwegian black metal has to offer.
From the Live in Leipzig album, this is my favorite track from this era, "Funeral Fog"
In my opinion, Dead was the best vocalist Mayhem ever had: more talented than Messiah, more consistent than Attila, less annoying than Maniac. He, as is well known, killed himself in 1991. With his suicide, Mayhem's second (and some would argue, best) phase came to an end. The next phase will be explored at a later date....
Select Discography:
Ha-Elm Zalag (bootleg rehearsal) (1988) War and Sodomy (Live in Zeitz) (live bootleg) (1990) Studio Tracks (demo) (1990) Out From the Dark (bootleg demo) (1991) Last Breath (Last Recordings with Dead) (bootleg rehearsal) (1991) Live in Leipzig (live album) (recorded 1990, released 1993) Dawn of the Black Hearts (Live in Sarpsborg, 1990) (released 1995)
As Mayhem is to Norway and Blasphemy is to Canada, BEHERIT is to Finland. Along with a few other luminaries of the Finnish scene (such as Goatvulva and Vadertopsy), Beherit was one of the earliest black metal bands from Finland, and arguably the most important. They come from the northern city of Rovaniemi (just below the Arctic Circle), and formed in 1989 as Pseudochrist. By 1990 they had changed their name to Beherit and released such demos as Seventh Blasphemy and Demonomancy.
"Grave Desecration" is from Demonomancy
The years 1990-1991 saw Beherit make a further name for themselves with the Dawn of Satan's Millenium EP and the split with Chilean band Death Yell. They signed with German label Turbo Records to release their first album, but in exchange for the money Turbo advanced them to produce a new album, Beherit decided simply to party with that money. As a result, Turbo Records released a compilation of Beherit's demo material as the 1991 album The Oath of Black Blood.
"Paradise, Of Thy Demonic Host" is an unreleased 1990 track
After 1991's The Oath of Black Blood, Beherit crafted some new material and released the 1993 album Drawing Down the Moon. This marked a slight stylistic change for the Finnish dark lords. Where the earlier material clearly showed the influence of the 1980s black/thrash scene, the material from the years 1992-1993 had a more subdued, almost occult production style to it. The vocals, however, were still of that subterranean, inhuman, demonic variety.
"Saloman's Gate" is the perfect example of Beherit's sound from the 1993 album
Following Drawing Down the Moon, Beherit put out a split with fellow countrymen Archgoat (more on them later) entitled Messe des Morts. This was a continuation of their raw black metal style from the Drawing Down the Moon album. In the following year, Beherit shifted gears entirely and became a dark ambient band, releasing two albums under that style. They then broke up in 1996.
After years of silence and a compilation album that was put out in 1999 (Beast of Beherit), Beherit got back together in the new millenium and began recording new music. The fruits of their labor was the 2009 album Engram. In my opinion, this was a very uninspired album. Satanic and evil, yes, but pales in comparison to the raw brilliance of releases like the early demos and 1993's Drawing Down the Moon.
Here are the goat-worshipping demons of Beherit!
Select Discography:
Seventh Blasphemy (demo) (1990) Morbid Rehearsals (demo) (1990) Demonomancy (demo) (1990) Dawn of Satan's Millenium EP (1991) The Oath of Black Blood (compilation) (1991) Werewolf, Semen, and Blood 7" (split with Death Yell) (1991) Drawing Down the Moon (1993) Messe des Morts 7" (1993) Beast of Beherit (compilation) (1999)
THORNS is one of those bands that played a huge role in the development of 1990s Norwegian black metal but never gained the mainstream notoriety or success of bands like Darkthrone, Mayhem, Emperor, or Burzum. Formed in 1989 as Stigma Diabolicum by Snorre Ruch and Marius Vold, the band released some crucial demos and rehearsals, such as 1989's Luna de Nocturnus and 1990's Lacus de Luna. On these releases, one can hear the development of the famous Norwegian riffing style that heavily influenced the entire 1990s scene.
Here is Stigma Diabolicum's 1989 demo, Luna de Nocturnus
After roughly two years as Stigma Diabolicum, the band changed their name to Thorns. As Thorns, they became more widely known throughout the Norwegian (and international) black metal scene. The demos Grymryk (1991), Trøndertun (1992), and The Thule Tape (1992) all became famous for their fairly unique guitar sound that has since become practically a trademark of the Norwegian scene.
"You That Mingle May" is one of Thorns most famous songs
From the Trøndertun demo, this is "Aerie Descent"
After the production of these crucial demos, Snorre Ruch became a part-time member of Mayhem, and contributed to the legendary Mayhem album, De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas. After the events surrounding Euronymous' murder, Ruch was sentenced to jail time for his role as an accomplice. It was not until after his release from prison that Thorns renewed activity. In 1999, the Thorns vs. Emperor album was put out with Thorns covering Emperor songs, and vice versa.
Back to back, here are the 1999 Thorns and Emperor versions of "Aerie Descent"
Following the Thorns vs. Emperor CD, Thorns finally managed to put out a full-length album in 2001. This self-titled album featured the guitar sound for which Thorns had become known, but also electronic and industrial elements. With such Norwegian black metal luminaries as Hellhammer, Satyr, and Aldrahn all contributing, this album was both an apex of sorts for black metal as well as a very forward-looking album.
What Thorns' self-titled album sounded like
Since that self-titled album, Thorns hasn't really done much. The old material has been released in 2007 on CD as Stigma Diabolicum. While their output hasn't been enormous, their impact on the black metal of Norway (and beyond) certainly has.
Select Discography: as Stigma Diabolicum:
Luna de Nocturnus (demo) (1989) Lacus de Luna (demo) (1990)
as Thorns: Grymyrk (demo) (1991) Trøndertun (demo) (1992) The Thule Tape (demo) (1992) Thorns vs. Emperor (split with Emperor) (1999) Thorns (full-length album) (2001)
Abruptum is one weird band. In their prime (early to mid-1990s), they were a mixture of black metal, dark ambient, and doom-death. They were a Swedish band that pre-dates the black metal explosion of the 1990s, but doesn't have a typical Swedish black metal sound by any means. They were formed in Stockholm in 1989 by the mysterious gentlemen known as ALL, IT, and EXT. Their initial sound bears the influence of doom and death metal as well as old-school black metal.
From the 1990 demo The Satanist Tunes
With the release of demos like 1990's Abruptum and The Satanist Tunes, Abruptum unleashed their unholy sound upon the world. The demonic growls over top of the slow dirge-like metal were unlike most of what was going on in the black metal world. It really did resemble a more experimental doom/death at times. With the 1991 7-inch Evil, Abruptum's sound began to morph into something blacker. The vocals varied between the low-end rumbling growls and the a more tortured screech, and the guitar playing--while still a slower pace--began to resemble black metal. Also, through the use of distortion and sound effects, the music as a whole took on a more experimental feel.
The weirdness that is Abruptum, from the Evil 7"
By this time, they had kicked out band members Ext and All, and replaced them with EVIL (aka Morgan from Marduk). The resulting shift in sound was apparent on the 1993 full-length Obscuritatem Advoco Amplectere Me. This album contained the sound for which Abruptum is famous: slow, doom-y, noisy, blackened dark ambient. The weird sound effects and distortion that were present on the Evil 7-inch were even more prominent now.
Just fucking weird....
Abruptum released several more albums in this style, such as 1994's In Umbra Malitiae Ambulabo, In Aeternum In Triumph Tenebrarum. For the most part, they continued in this style for years before eventually shifting to an almost entirely dark ambient sound, with no hint of black metal. By the turn of the millenium, Evil was continuing Abruptum as a solo project. He has put out albums mostly on Marduk's solo label (Blooddawn Productions), including the recently released Potestates Apocalypsis (2011).
Select Discography:
Abruptum (demo) (1990) The Satanist Tunes (demo) (1990) Evil 7" (1991) Obscuritatem Advoco Amplectere Me (1993) In Umbra Malitiae Ambulabo, In Aeternum In Triumph Tenebrarum(1994) Vi Sonus Veris Nigrae Malitiaes (1996)
In the late 1980s, as death metal rose to prominence and black metal thrived in the underground, there were a few bands that managed to combine elements of both to such a degree that they are considered part of both traditions. American band ORDER FROM CHAOS is one such group. From Kansas City, Missouri, they played a style of extreme metal that owes a lot to the old-school black metal scene, but clearly bears the imprint of the emerging death metal style.
They formed in 1987, and put out some rather famous demos in the later 1980s. 1988's Inhumanities is a demo that had song structures reminiscent of Possessed and Death, but at the same time had an occultic feel to it that reminded one of early Mayhem and other first-wave black metal. With 1989's Crushed Infamy demo and 1990's Will to Power EP, the band focused more on the death metal aspects of their music.
"Golgotha (Second Death)" is a pretty good example of Order From Chaos' old sound
Notice the more death metal approach off of 1990's Will to Power
By the time of the release of their first full-length album--1993's Stillbirth Machine--their sound was more or less death metal with black metal influences to it. This is the sound that they are primarily know for down to this today. This sound continued on albums such as 1995's Dawn Bringer and 1998's An Ending in Fire. Their sound greatly resembles that of legendary death/black metal band Angelcorpse, and this makes perfect sense, being that Pete Helmkamp was a member of both bands.
"Forsake Me This Mortal Coil" highlights their mature sound
Order From Chaos broke up in 1998. But by this time, their mark had been made. They helped set the standard for future black/death bands, and influenced the formation and style of Angelcorpse. They recently re-united and playing some gigs in 2010...
From 2010's Nuclear War Now Fest, this is Order From Chaos live
Select Discography:
Inhumanities (demo) (1988) Crushed Infamy (demo) (1989) Will to Power 7" (1990) Stillbirth Machine (full-length) (1992) Dawnbringer (full-length) (1995) An Ending in Fire (full-length) (1998)
Isengard is known primarily as the one-man black/folk metal band by Fenriz from Darkthrone. Thing is, Isengard was black metal before Darkthrone was. In 1989, when Isengard's first demo came out (Spectres Over Gorgoroth), Darkthrone was still a death metal band. Fenriz has admitted in interviews that he created Isengard as an outlet for music that was decidedly different from Darkthrone. Unlike old Darkthrone, Isengard clearly had strong black metal elements, such as the vocals and a more blackened guitar tone. There are still death metal elements, but compared to what Darkthrone was doing in this time period, it was much more black metal.
"Dark Lord of Gorgoroth" is from the first demo, 1989's Spectres Over Gorgoroth
With the 1991 demo Horizons, the sound veered away from death metal and more toward black metal than the previous demo. Folk elements began to make their way into the music as well. This folk/black metal mix is more or less what Isengard is known for these days. The 1993 demo Vandreren was a continuation in this blackened folk style.
The song "Vinterskugge" is off of the '93 demo Vandreren
In 1994, the demo material was collected as the album Vinterskugge. This was followed by a new album the next year, Høstmørke. On this album, the folk element was even more prominent. This led to an album that had a schizophrenic feel to it. Some songs were folk rock with black metal influence, some were black metal songs with folk elements to it.
An example of the blackened folk of the Høstmørke album
Fenriz discontinued Isengard after Høstmørke. The twoalbums were re-released a few years ago (2007, I think) with Fenriz's own commentary on them. For any obsessive fan of black metal, that might be a worthwhile purchase.
Greek black metal is usually talked about in terms of the "big three": Rotting Christ, Necromantia, and VARATHRON. All of them formed in the years 1987-1989, went on to have productive and influential musical careers, and are still around to this day. Varathron formed in 1989 and came from the Greek city of Ioannina. Their early demos The Procreation of Unaltered Evil (1989) and Genesis of Apocryphal Desire (1991), as well as the EP One Step Beyond Dreams (1991), all showcased a style that was more about the varied rhythms and evil atmosphere now associated with the hellenic black metal scene.
"Dawn of Sordid Decay" is from the 1989 demo Procreation of Unaltered Evil
Their first full-length--1993's His Majesty at the Swamp--is one of the gems of 1990s black metal, and one of the true highlights of Greek black metal. Like Rotting Christ's material from the same era, Varathron's sound contains all of the occultic and atmospheric elements of black metal without falling into the Norwegian template. Unafraid to craft black metal that has the components of the old school as well as some newer elements, Varathron is rightfully considered one of Greece's best.
"Unholy Funeral" is an excellent example of Varathron's classic sound
Varathron is still active today, having released numerous albums subsequent to Majesty. Their most recent album, Stygian Forces of Scorn, came out in 2009.
Select Discography
Procreation of the Unaltered Evil (demo) (1989)
Genesis of Apocryphal Desire (demo) (1990)
The Everlasting Sins EP (split with Necromantia) (1992)
Hailing from the capital city of Athens, the black/death band VOMIT was only around long enough to put out two infamous demos, 1988's Mechanic Abomination and 1989's Sickness is Not an Experiment. Vomit also became well-known in the Greek metal underground because of the 'zine they published. Their sound was a heavily thrash-influenced sound, with elements of old-school black and death metal.
"Blower Head" is from the 1989 demo Sickness is not an Experiment
ASFYX, also hailing from Athens, formed from the ashes of the more doom-oriented band Nightmare and managed to put out the Spirit of the Dead demo in 1989. One can definitely hear the methodical, plodding rhythmic elements of doom metal in their black metal, yet at the same time, the more occult-oriented atmosphere of black metal is present as well.
Athens' scene was positively bursting at the seams with extreme metal bands. Being Greece's largest city that should come as no shock. One such old-school black/death band was SADISTIC NOISE. With various members hailing from Greece's punk scene, the speed and rawness of Sadistic Noise shouldn't surprise anyone. Sadistic Noise was a pretty long-running band in the Greek underground, putting out numerous demos (including 1988's Black and Chaos and 1990's The End) and a studio album (1999's Decade in the Grave). In the beginning of their career, Sadistic Noise was clearly in the vein of old-school black metal, but they gradually shifted their sound to a more death metal style by the latter half of their career. An interesting side note: Sadistic Noise was the first band to open for Napalm Death in Greece.
"Brothers of Gore" is from the 1988 demo Black and Chaos
Yet another band from Athens, MORTIFY began in 1987. Despite forming that early, they didn't put out any demos until 1990's Dizziness of the Occult. Like fellow countrymen Vomit, they had a raw version of the distinctly Greek sound. Unlike Vomit, their sound was more steeped in the gritty, old-school production values of the 1980s. Mortify went on to release ...And Darkness Was Upon (demo, 1993) and two unnamed demos in 1995 and 1996 before breaking up.
"The Occult", off of the 1990 demo Dizziness of the Occult
Forming as ERESHKIGAL in 1988, then changing to FLEGETHON the following year before changing back to Ereshkigal in 1994 comes this next Athenian band. No demo material as that initial incarnation of Ereshkigal exists, near as I can tell. As Flegethon, however, a 1990 demo (Repugnant Blasphemy) and a 1993 EP (Doomed in Eternal Suffering) were recorded. After breaking up as Flegethon in 1994, band member Rotten Flesh re-formed Ereshkigal, but it was several years of toiling in the underground before a studio album was released (2005's The Raping of the Divine).
ROTTING CHRIST is probably the best-known of all the Greek black metal bands. That being the case, if they formed in 1987 (the same year as Necromantia), why did I choose to do an entry on Necromantia first? The answer is: Rotting Christ was not a black metal band when they first formed. They were more of an old-school death metal meets grindcore sound. With the early demos Decline's Return (1988) and Leprosy of Death (1988), as well as the split with Sound Pollution (1989), the grindcore sound is readily on display.
An example of Rotting Christ's early grindcore sound, this is their 1988 demo, Decline's Return
With the 1989 demo Satanas Tedeum, Rotting Christ's shift away from grindcore and toward black metal becomes apparent. The sound really resembles a mixture of elements of all three styles: grindcore, old-school black metal, and old-school death metal. That being said, it clearly belongs in the black metal camp, because it has a rhythm and pacing more reminiscent of black metal, and the lyrical content shifts away from the pathological and toward the blasphemous. The vocals, however, were death/grind for sure.
"The Nereid of Esgalduin" is from the 1989 demo Satanas Tedeum
With their 1991 release--the Passage to Arcturo EP--the transition to black metal was complete. With this, you get the mystical and blasphemous aura that is now forever-associated with the Greek black metal scene. The style associated with bands such as Rotting Christ and Necromantia (sometimes called "hellenic black metal" after Hellas, that is, Greece) was not always about the necro, trebly sound that the Norwegians became associated with, but they had a style all their own nonetheless.
Off of Passage to Arcturo, this is "Forest of N'Gai"
Since that EP, Rotting Christ has released albums pretty steadily. Their early albums--such as 1993's Thy Mighty Contract and 1994's Non Serviam--are excellent black metal albums that combine the rawness of the old-school style with the atmosphere of the newer, so-called second wave sound. Non Serviam in particular manages to construct a classic black metal style and use symphonic elements without it sounding cheesy at all.
The title track off of 1994's Non Serviam
By the mid 1990s, Rotting Christ was beginning to go in a more gothic direction with their sound. The songs from this time in their existence have little to do with good, quality black metal, in my opinion. It really wasn't until albums such as 2004's Sanctus Diavolos and 2007's Theogonia that they returned to a more black metal sound, albeit with the incorporation of some folk elements.
This is an example of Rotting Christ's more recent stuff
Select Discography:
Leprosy of Death (demo) (1988) Decline's Return (demo) (1989) Satanas Tedeum (demo) (1989) Passage to Arcturo EP (1991) Thy Mighty Contract (1993) Non Serviam (1994)
Next time: VARATHRON and the rest of the early Greek scene
